The world's first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by National Medical Products Administration of China (NMPA) to be used as a booster dose, the developer CanSino Biologics said on Sunday.

The vaccine, named "Convidecia Air," is the inhaled version of the Tianjin-based company's adenoviral vector vaccine, Convidecia.

It "provides a non-invasive option" for people who prefer not to take a jab, the company said, adding that the new vaccine can establish immunity against COVID-19 after "just one breath."

The company said the Phase III trail results published in the medical journal The Lancet indicate that the new vaccine is can induce strong humoral, cellular and mucosal immunity to achieve triple protection and effectively contain the infection and spread of the virus.

There are many kinds of COVID-19 vaccines from different companies available in China, including Convidecia. More than 3.4 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been taken in the Chinese mainland, according to data from the National Health Commission (NHC).

The Chinese mainland has collectively reported 244,708 COVID-19 cases since late 2019, NHC data also showed. Among them, 233,284 have recovered and 5,226 passed away.